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First developed at the University of Michigan in 1944, music therapy has long been used to help people with conditions such as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Music therapy also has been shown to help children with ADHD and is being used more frequently for that very reason.

“Music is an age-old way to heal, and it works exceedingly well for children with ADHD,” says Doris Jeanette, PsyD, a psychologist in Philadelphia. “Music reduces the anxiety you have in your body, and when you’re talking about kids with ADHD symptoms, all they have is anxiety.”

Music is calming, and calmed children with ADHD are better able to focus and pay more attention to what they are doing, says Mechelle Chestnut, MA, a music therapist who works in the public schools in New Jersey and has a private practice for teens and adults in New York. Because it is familiar and not threatening, music also makes children with ADHD more open to working with a therapist, Chestnut says.

As an ADHD alternative treatment, music therapy sessions can be one-on-one or in a small group. The therapist and the children may listen to music or play an instrument or sing songs together. Music provides an excellent opportunity for children to express themselves, Chestnut says. Sessions are individualized to the participants’ needs.

Music Therapy: No Talent Needed

One of the great pluses of music therapy is that children don’t need any musical talent to benefit from it. However, sometimes children with ADHD symptoms are quite creative, and music therapy can bring out their hidden musical talents.

No particular style of music is better than another, although classical music can be calming and studies suggest that listening to classical music may increase IQ. “It’s what’s known as the ‘Mozart effect,’” Dr. Jeanette says.

Several small studies have found that rhythmic exercises improved attention, motor control, and academic skills in children with ADHD. In sessions held over three to five weeks, children wore headphones and sensors on their hands and feet and were asked to perform exercises to a rhythmic computer-beat. The researchers reported improvement in the children’s attention, language processing, behavior, and motor control afterward.

The American Music Therapy Association can help you find a music therapist in your area. You can e-mail your request to findMT@musictherapy.org and include the location where you’re looking for a therapist. Your child’s counselor also may know of music therapists in your area.

Make Your Own Music

You can also use music at home to help your child. Children with ADHD often have attachment issues, Chestnut says. Listening to music or playing music together or even singing songs can be a way to bond, she says. “Even if it’s just 30 seconds of a song that you sing, it’s a way of connecting,” she says. Don’t worry if you’re out of tune. “It’s worth the risk of sounding bad,” she says, “and no one will notice.”

When it’s time for bed, Chestnut suggests, put on some very quiet music, perhaps classical music or any kind of music that’s simple in rhythm and harmony. “Put it on for a half-hour before bedtime,” she says. “If that’s done regularly, it can be a cue to your child that we’re getting toward bedtime and help him to relax.”

Ask children what music they like to listen to and why. Listen to what they're saying and don’t be judgmental about their choice, Chestnut adds. Be sure you have that music on a CD or on the radio and listen to it together. “It, too, is a way to connect with your child,” she says.

Music therapy has become one of the recognized ADHD alternative treatments. If you think your child could benefit from music therapy, talk to his teachers and therapists and add some music to your child’s world.

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